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In the early 1930’s, Shanghai was known to the western world as “The Paris of the Orient”. With its macabre mixture of Chinese peasants, thriving trade, revolutionary activity and artistic experimentation, it seemed, by all accounts, a city where life could be seized with every pore. Add to that the sheer decadence of the place—more prostitutes than any city in the western world, a seedy underworld that owned the city, and, what one Westerner called a sense that “everyone in Shanghai is hiding from something or somebody”, and we can understand the comparison to the French city.

In the 1930's and 40's, under the Japanese occupation, Shanghai lost its economic, artistic and intellectual base. Not until the mid-1950’s would it begin to rebuild its industrial capacity, but the cosmopolitan spirit of the place, under the spartan communist party policies, was gone forever.

Or was it? In the 1980’s, under the pro-free market policies of Deng Xiaoping, China and Shanghai in particular began to come back to life. When I first came here in 1988, signs of rebuilding had already began to appear! A few small department stores full of goods, a few small restaurants, renovated old hotels, lots of buildings. Now, 7 years later, the changes are dramatic. Half the city is torn up as new high rise offices, apartments and hotels have sprung up or are now being built. The Chinese government is currently attempting to catch up and even surpass much more modern Hong Kong in creating the new Shanghai. Along the Bund, the old colonial section of the city along the banks of the Huangpu River, the buildings have been cleaned and refurbished. On weekend nights they are lit in a stark bath of blue-white light that seems almost a strike back at any criticism that Shanghainese have no sense of architectural preservation.

But the cornerstone of the new effort is the Pudong New Area. Only a few years ago, this land was devoted to providing Shanghai with vegetables. Within the next five years it will be filled with new industrial plants, housing, and office buildings, creating a twin city just east of the Huangpu. In the government’s vision, Pudong will be the center of Chinese-style capitalism, surpassing even Hong Kong, which will revert from British to Chinese rule in the summer of 1997.

But what is daily life like in this city of 12 million people? Most Shanghainese are very poor by U.S. standards, making perhaps $100-$200 per month if they’re lucky. They work hard 6-7 days per week and have little time for play. Indeed, the only really popular form of “modern” entertainment in Shanghai is T.V., which is accessable to more and more Shanghai people as the economy grows. In fact, while the people must work hard, they also have more money-making opportunities than ever before. Nanjing Road, which runs at a right angle from the Bund, is now full of multi-story department stores and other smaller shops and restaurants. For a Shanghai man or woman with a little money to throw away, Nanjing Road and other major new shopping areas are the places to go on the weekend.

Transportation is the very definition of nightmare in Shanghai. More and more people and companies buy cars but, despite a new Beltway, the roads can’t handle the traffic. Most people ride great distances on their bikes or ride the packed buses. I see at least one physical fight per week breaking out over some transportation-related problem: an accident or maybe just a slightly too aggressive shove to get on the bus.

But for me, as a foreign student, the view of Shanghai is sometimes too narrow. Fudan University, where I study Chinese, is in the far Northeastern corner of the city, about 45 minutes from the Bund. This situation has allowed me to get to know some of my Chinese classmates, but generally, interaction is informally discouraged. For example, foreigners must live in their own dormitory with other foreigners. We’re not allowed to have Chinese roommates. Even being seen with foreigners in a social setting draws stares for a Chinese student, so only those who are interested in learning English or who are less concerned with peer pressure reach out to meet Foreigners.

One exception is my Taichichnen class. Taichichnen is a kind of Chinese kung fu that is practiced in one form or another by millions of Chinese. It’s as popular here as jogging is in the U.S. Because my Taichi classmates and I share an interest (and a teacher) we seem to feel quite comfortable with each other.

After two months in Shanghai, really a very short time, my impression is that this city may indeed once again become “The Paris of the Orient.” What it lacks now is the kind of thriving intellectual and artistic life it had before WW II, but, as in our own nation, greater affluence might bring greater interest in those areas within a few decades. Shanghai gives the impression that it will bloom once again and perhaps as a much prettier, healthier flower.

Setting off to Shanghai? Read the article, Shanghai, by William S. Ellis in the March, 1994 National Geographic, which tells of the Communist leaders denigration of the city for its onetime role as the Paris of the Orient and of current attempts to make the city the financial capital of Asia.

An excellent resource for your China adventure is Nagel’s Encyclopedia Guide: China (1986). Geneva, Switzerland: Nagel Publishers. This is an compendium of information discussing history, art, economics, politics and culture. Do you want to learn Chinese games, or read about the “Principles of Chinese Gastronomy”? Get this book!

Web-peditions in Learning : Travel and learn from the classroom and from home.

The Great Web of China ... like the wall but different.

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Copyright © 1996-- Marchbanks & Ellis, Inc.
Last Updated: February 1996
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